Kathmandu: Eight Indian nationals have
been arrested from Nepal`s only international airport in the
capital for possessing fake identity cards and posing as the
staff of the national flag carrier.

They were arrested from the hanger of the Tribhuvan
International Airport (TIA) as their behaviour was suspicious,
according to Superintendent of Police Kedar Rijal, who heads
the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Circle.

They were posing as the staff of the Nepal Airlines
Corporation (NAC), raising fears over the security at the
airport.

They entered the airport premises claiming they were
working under technical section of NAC, according to Rijal.

We are further investigating the matter, he said.

During preliminary investigation, they told the police
that they paid ransom to the airlines staff to get fake
identity cards.

According to aviation expert, it raises serious
question over the security of the airport. The Kathmandu
airport is frequently used by criminals involved in smuggling
of counterfeit currency notes to India and drug trafficking.

In December 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814 with 176
passengers was hijacked from TIA by Pakistan-based
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorists and taken to Kandahar in
Afghanistan.

Nepal and India have an open border, allowing their
citizens to travel across the border without any special
document.